Redefining the Meaning of Public Sphere: Leaders, Citizens, States

- Presentation speakers
  - Dora Papadopoulou, Forschungsinstitut für Philosophie, Hannover
Abstract:

Believing in the European Vision is more than an imperative necessity. More than ever we should bring attention to the meaning of cooperation and the importance of leaders. To improve the rationality of public decisions we should put again in the middle of the discussion the role of the leaders and their responsibility to their citizens. So, one of the most important questions in our days is the meaning of Europe and how Europe can resist to the growing phenomenon of crisis in many countries of its entity. The main problem is the way that those countries understand the meaning of public sphere and the fundament role of cooperation. It is not a game of power or a rhetoric play of winning impressions. The public sphere should be not understood as an „ousia“. It is about different forms of public spheres, where should come in discussion and cooperate as if they are another form of citizens and states which want to argue about the problems and find a solution. This paper will look into the discussion about the public sphere, the comparison with the meaning of “Öffentlichkeit” and the transformation of this idea in the light of the problems that Europe has to deal with. We should not understand public sphere only as an arena of public relations but also as a forum to re-understand the significance of “society” and “state” as well as the meaning of “leader”. If we incorporate the active role of citizens and the responsibility of states comes into sight the idea that good government follows nature at all levels from the household to the state in the name of cooperation, as also Aristotle said. Citizens and leaders should participate in deliberations about the public good.